2015 Volkswagen Jetta

The trim choices for the 2015 Volkswagen Jetta are spread across five trim and two engine options. The base trim starts at $16,215 and comes with a 2.0-liter four-pot engine. The next trim is S that starts at $17,325 and adds cruise control, keyless entry, air conditioning, etc. Then there are three trims SE, Sport, and SEL that come with a more powerful 1.8-liter TSI engine, and prices start at $18,995 and go up to $25,380. The topmost SEL comes with an automatic gearbox, while the rest of the trims have an option of a 5-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic.

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If money isn’t a problem, then we suggest going for the 1.8T Sport trim as it not only gets a much powerful and better TSI engine and for less than a five grand premium over the base trim, we think this is a steal deal. With features like 17-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry and ignition, Two-tone leatherette upholstery, and Six-speaker radio w/ navigation, the 1.8T Sport trim makes for the best value for money option in the lineup.

The Volkswagen Jetta comes with two engine options. The 2.0-liter inline-4 resides in the base and S trims and puts out a measly 115 hp and 125 lb-ft of torque. Higher trims get a much more powerful 1.8-liter turbocharged inline-4 engine that puts out a meaty 170 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque. Both the engines offer a choice of either a five-speed manual gearbox or a six-speed automatic gearbox. The standard engine setup helps the Jetta scoot from 0-60 mph in a lazy 11 seconds and covers a quarter-mile in 18.1 seconds. The much more powerful turbo-four TSI engine cuts that to 7.2 seconds for 0-60 mph.

The Mazda 3 is the most powerful, producing 155 hp and 150 lb-ft of torque from its 2.0-liter inline-4 engine. It also clocks the fastest 0-60 mph time of 7.8 seconds and covers a quarter-mile in 16.1 seconds. In comparison to this, the Jetta remains 3.2 seconds slower in the 0-60 mph run and took 2 seconds more to cover the quarter-mile.

The Volkswagen Jetta returns underwhelming fuel economy figures from its naturally aspirated inline-4 engine. As per the EPA estimate, you can expect a fuel economy of 25 mpg in the city and 34 mpg on the highway from the manual gearbox. The 6-speed auto sees a drop of 2 mpg in the city fuel economy. The turbocharged Jetta with the automatic gearbox managed a much better 25 mpg in the city and 37 mpg on the highway. A 14.5-gallon fuel tank is standard across all the Jetta trims. 

Just like in the above comparison where the Jetta fared poorly, the same story continues here too. The Mazda 3 once again leads the show with a stellar fuel economy of 30 mpg in the city and 41 mpg on the highway. The Jetta, compared to the Mazda 3, managed to return 7 mpg less in both the city and on the highway.

The cabin of the Volkswagen Jetta carries a no-nonsense design language. The material quality used throughout the cabin is of high quality, and the cabin feels built to last. The classic dash design is second to none in the segment, and the controls and piano-black finished trims pieces are all made of good quality material. Moving to the seats, you won’t have any complaints from them either. They are comfortable and provide an ample amount of support. The seats are a bit firm, but that ensures that during long drives you don’t feel tired. With a generous amount of front and rear legroom, you have enough space to stretch out without feeling uncomfortable.

The cabin space on offer in the Volkswagen Jetta is definitely better than what you get in the Mazda 3, but it falls short in front of the gargantuan 42.3-inches of front and 41.4-inches of rear legroom offered on the Corolla. The Jetta quickly covers that up by gaining a few practicality points for the biggest 15.7 cubic feet of trunk space. Key interior features include:

• Cruise control
• Available dual-zone automatic climate control
• Keyless entry
• Fabric-trimmed seats
• Available V-Tex leatherette-trimmed seats
• Available heated front seats
• Available power-adjustable driver’s seat

How intuitive is Volkswagen Jetta’s infotainment unit?

The base trim of the Jetta gets a four-speaker stereo with AM/FM/CD player. The higher trims offer a 4.0-inch screen with a CD player, a 6-speaker sound system, and a radio. While moving further up in the trim ladder, you will add navigation and a premium 9-speaker Fender sound system. Overall the system is flawless and among the best in the business. Key infotainment features include:

• 4-speaker stereo
• AM/FM/CD player
• HD Radio
• Bluetooth
• Available 4.0-inch screen w/ navigation
• Available Media Device Interface (MDI) with iPod cable
• Available Fender premium audio system

Unlike the Japanese and Korean cars, the Volkswagen Jetta has a straightforward design language that not only looks classy but will also age well with time. The front end has clean three lines running on the upper grille that merges into the headlamps. The lower part of the grille has two lines running, and the upper one merges into the fog light housing. The side profile has a mature European styling, and as standard, you get 16-inch steel wheels that can be upgraded to 17-inch alloys. The rear has a slightly raised boot and trapezoidal tail lights. To conclude, the Jetta has a matured design with clean lines running all through its body.

The Volkswagen Jetta is the longest measuring 183.3-inches in this comparison. The Jetta loses the widest sedan title to the Mazda 3 by a margin of 0.7-inches. All three sedans have a similar height. Both Mazda 3 and Toyota Corolla offer the longest wheelbase of 106.3-inches, while the Jetta gets only 104.4-inches of wheelbase. That said, weighing more than 2,941 lbs, the Volkswagen Jetta is the heaviest sedan, while the Mazda 3 has the highest ground clearance of 6.1-inches. Key exterior features include:

• Bi-Xenon high-intensity headlights
• LED Daytime Running Lights
• LED tail lights
• Fog Lights
• Heated power side mirrors
• 15-inch steel wheels
• 16- and 17-inch alloy wheels
• Rear spoiler

The Volkswagen Jetta comes with a sturdy cabin that has shock-absorbing crumple zones to ensure your safety in the event of a crash. The 2015 Jetta was crash-tested by NHTSA, and it received a perfect five-star overall rating. The IIHS shared a similar opinion and rated the Jetta with a rating of ‘Good’ in five parameters, and the Jetta managed to grab the ‘Top Safety Pick’ award from the IIHS. Key safety features include:

• Intelligent Crash Response System
• Electronic Stability Control
• Engine Brake Assist
• Anti-Slip Regulation
• Tire Pressure Monitoring System
• Available Blind Spot Monitor w/ Rear Traffic Alert
• Available Forward Collision Warning system

The Volkswagen Jetta is a very interesting case in its segment. It offers something for every segment of the customer as there is a diesel-powered Jetta, there is a hybrid Jetta, and there is a gas-powered Jetta which we covered here. The gas-powered Jetta has decent gas mileage, space, and fabulous safety scores. However, the performance from the standard engine lets down an otherwise great product. Nevertheless, Volkswagen has given a more powerful turbo-four engine to cover for that in the higher trims. So for those who are bored driving Japanese and Korean cars can give this European steed a shot.